Shopping in Franklin

Naresh Garg and his wife, Hansa, descended upon New York in 1984 with the dream of establishing their own wholesale jewelry-supply business. After relocating the business to Greenwood in the early '90s, the bead emporium now stocks its 6,000-square-foot showroom with an overwhelming bead-and-stone collection, all manufactured in Jaipur, India. Due to the high demand for his jewelry supplies, Naresh Garg now sells his 18-karat-gold chains, copper beads, diamond parts, and gemstones to buyers all across the country. The store attracts hobbyists, designers, and store owners alike, and Naresh encourages inquiries for specific products, such as just the right bit of bling for a handcrafted Flavor Flav sock puppet.

John Searcy started his battery business out of the back of his truck in spring 1950. He opened an official storefront in 1952, naming it Interstate Battery System after the new network of interstate highways that was under construction across the country. Over the next 60 years, his company expanded to all 50 states, as well as Australia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Guyana, Panama, and the Dominican Republic. Each Interstate All Battery Center location—as well as the company's online database—houses an extensive selection of batteries for cars, electronics, household items, and computers. They also collect power sources for security systems, medical equipment, and other niche devices. Many of their batteries come with a 45-day satisfaction warranty, though it doesn’t cover batteries stolen by siblings to power their Game Boys.

Each Discount Mattress store stocks hundreds of name-brand memory-foam, latex, gel, and pillow-top mattresses, all with prices averaging 50%–75% below retail. Brand-new mattresses from manufacturers such as Stearns & Foster, Spring Air Back Supporter, King Koil, Comfort Solutions, Americana, and Kathy Ireland Collection saturate the showroom floors, offering a variety of firmness levels to suit beds, budgets, and pillow forts of all sizes. Each an experienced sleeper themselves, staff members are well-suited to assist customers in their quest for sounder slumber, and each purchase is backed by a 110% price guarantee should the same mattress appear somewhere else for less. In addition to supporting spines, Discount Mattress helps buttress the Illinois economy by selling mattresses that are made locally, and caters to busy schedules by offering same-day delivery to homes from the western suburbs to downtown Chicago.

At The Exchange, a staff of media experts oversees a stock of new and used movies, video games, and CDs ranging from the latest releases to nostalgia-inducing classics. New music that spans artists and genres plays from multigenerational iPods and accessories. Game platforms such as Xbox 360 and PS3 rest side by side with older consoles including N64, Super Nintendo, regular Nintendo, Gameboy, and the first video-game system ever—a hollowed-out TV filled with finger puppets. The staff stacks their shelves to the ceiling with DVDs and Blu-ray discs as well as merchandise and memorabilia such as Homer Simpson dolls and action figures. The Exchange honors its name by trading goods with customers for store credit that can be applied to its myriad wares.

For more than two decades, American Mattress has promoted peaceful slumber in bedchambers throughout the Midwest with their vast selection of mattresses, headboards, and linens. The sleep experts strive to stay abreast of the latest bedding technology: their Serta mattresses are made with gel foam that supports curves, and Tempur-Pedic mattresses repel allergens, mites, and poltergeists looking to spoon. This devotion to a good night’s sleep has helped them earn the title of Best Mattress Store from suburban Chicago’s Daily Herald five years in a row. Additionally, American Mattress doubles down on each of its beds with a 30-day comfort guarantee and a 60-day best-price guarantee.

Baby Genius's award-winning children's products teach babies and toddlers essential skills through the power of music. Based on a bounty of research, the company's DVDs enrich the learning experience by merging classical pieces and familiar songs with vibrant images, keeping kids entertained for hours. Parents can sit back while animated animal educators teach pocket-size pupils better motor skills, dictionary-defying vocabularies, vampire-free counting, and nap-inducing dance moves that ready little ones for kindergarten and beyond.